the bulletin from johnny cake hill, summer 2010

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Bulletin THE from Johnny Cake Hill SUMMER 2010 The Portuguese in American Whaling by Donald Warrin, Ph.D.

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Page 1: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

BulletinTHE

fromJohnnyCake Hill

SUMMER 2010

The Portuguese in American Whaling

18 Johnny Cake Hill • New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740-6398508 997-0046 • www.whalingmuseum.org

SUMMER HOURS (June - December): Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Until 9:00 p.m. every second Thursday of the month

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is governed by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society.

Subscription to this publication is a benefit of membership. For more information about membership,

call 508 997-0046 ext. 115 or visit www.whalingmuseum.org.

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the expressed written consent of the New BedfordWhaling Museum.

nonprofit org.u.s. postage paidnew bedford, mapermit no. 29

Museum is fully accessible

by Donald Warrin, Ph.D.

Page 2: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

Farewell & Thank Youto Our Outgoing Trustees

Fromthe Helm:

table of contents

Returning to Our Roots: The ODHSWattles Family Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Bourne Building Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Joe Mello, Master Rigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Museum News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Loomings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Curatorial Vignettes: Fact or Fiction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Summer Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Destination New Bedford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12In Depth: The Portuguese in American Whaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Whaling Museum Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Curatorial Vignettes: New Digital Archive Underway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

BOARD OF TRUSTEESJohn N. Garfield, Jr., ChairLucile P. Hicks, First Vice ChairGurdon B. Wattles, Second Vice ChairJoseph E. McDonough, TreasurerElizabeth Huidekoper, Assistant TreasurerLlewellyn Howland III, ClerkSalvatore F. BattinelliNathaniel BickfordJohn W. BraitmayerRoger P. CheeverCarl J. CruzArmand FernandesBarbara B. FerriMichelle N. HantmanEdward HowlandPatricia JaysonFrances LevinSteven LubarD. Lloyd MacdonaldSarah Kendall MitchellEugene MonteiroMichael J. MooreRita Macedo PachecoJeffrey RaymonDonald S. RiceFrances D. RicketsonBrian J. RothschildHardwick SimmonsJanet WhitlaHarvey J. WolkoffClass of 2013Charles E. BascomThomas G. DavisWilliam do CarmoRoy EnoksenKeith W. KauppilaDavid N. Kelley IIGeorge B. Mock IIICandida Rose BaptistaDawn Blake Souza

MUSEUM ADVISORY COUNCILCalvin Siegal, ChairLisa Schmid AlvordTalbot Baker, Jr.Truman S. CasnerLewis M. CocoAnne F. FazendeiroFrederic C. HoodIrwin JacobsPeter T. KavanaughWilliam N. KeeneAlbert E. Lees IIIArthur H. ParkerJohn S. PenneyJohn C. PinheiroCarl RibeiroGilbert L. ShapiroWilliam T. StrohmeierCharles T. ToomeyRichard B. Young

VOLUNTEER COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEJohn Brindisi, PresidentAlice Larson, Vice PresidentDonna Sargent, Recording SecretaryJudith Giusti, Corresponding SecretaryMary Crothers,Treasurer

MUSEUM STAFF*Karen Allen, Manager of Events/Community RelationsCynthia Atwood, AdmissionsJean Banker, RegistrarMaria Batista, Senior AccountantSarah Budlong, Education AssistantMaureen Coleman, Sen. Director, Foundation/Government RelationsCasey Correira-Macy, Staff AccountantJennifer Cruz, ECHO Program AssistantMichael Dyer, Maritime CuratorTara Duff, Museum Store Assistant ManagerDr. Stuart Frank, Senior CuratorDr. Gregory Galer, Vice President, Collections/ExhibitionsRobert Hauser, ConservatorBarry Jesse, FacilitiesMichael Lapides, Director of Digital Initiatives/Photo CuratorPamela Lowe, Supervisor Visitor Services/Board CommunicationsSara Meirowitz, Director of EducationKatie Mello, Photo ArchivistHenry Moniz, FacilitiesArthur Motta, Sen. Director, Marketing/CommunicationsLaura Pereira, LibrarianJohn Pimental, FacilitiesRobert Rocha, Community Science Program ManagerJames Russell, President and CEOKate Schreitmueller, Development AssociateJohn Silva, Facilities ForemanAlison Smart, Director of Individual GivingKristen Sniezek, Vice President, AdministrationBrian Witkowski, Visitor Services/Museum Store*full-time

IN MEMORIAMBarbara Groves, ODHS Trustee 1974-1979;Honorary Trustee 1980-1995Joan Hicks, ODHS Secretary 1985-1986; 1993-1996; ODHSTrustee 1982-1985; 1987-1993

EDITORIAL COMMENTSArthur Motta, [email protected] Pereira, [email protected] Allen, [email protected] Mello, [email protected] Johnny Cake Hill • New Bedford, MA 02740

Whaling Museum on the web

www.whalingmuseum.org/whalingmuseumblog.org/www.flickr.com/photos/nbwm

facebook: www.facebook.com/whalingmuseumtwitter: http://twitter.com/whalingmuseum

igh expectations of renewal and change mark thisissue. There is great excitement, suspense and

dare I say momentum generated by all the hustle andbustle at the Museum. In very short order, your strollsthrough the galleries will be considerably longer, withmore art and artifacts to enjoy from the collection thanever before! On June 26, the newly refurbished OldDartmouth Historical Society Wattles Family Gallery willexhibit our best of New Bedford painting collectionwhen we reopen the original entrance to the OldDartmouth Museum, adorned with marble and brassplaques honoring the founders of this institution. Then5 weeks later, we re-consecrate the Bourne Buildingwith great fanfare following 6 months of renovation.In early September, a third ribbon will be parted whenwe inaugurate a permanent gallery dedicated to theAzorean whalers. This will be quite an eventful summeron Johnny Cake Hill and I encourage you to join us foreach of these momentous occasions. I promise you willnot be disappointed.

This issue includes our Annual Report. If you receivethe Bulletin by mail, then your name should be listedamong the legions of like-minded supporters who en-sure this Museum continues to be a vital resource in ourcommunity and around the world. Thank you for yoursupport. Please take a moment to review the importantfinancial report. We have made good progress in 2009reducing our debt, building our endowment and suc-cessfully managing the operations in the black. For this,you simply have yourselves to thank.

In addition to the listed Board members, we includethe presumptive trustees for the class of 2013. Whileit is fundamentally healthy and necessary for a member-based organization to renew its corpus of trustees, Imust confess that this year the process is bitter-sweet.Our departing trustees have performed their duties tosuch a meritorious extent that their collective impacthas been nothing short of extraordinary. Their unflap-pable devotion to this organization for a combinedservice of 47 years is remarkable and a sterling exampleto us all. Their vision, wisdom and leadership haveshaped our Museum in such profound and fundamen-tal ways so that future generations will benefit mightilyfrom their achievements. We will miss them.

President and CEO

H

ON THE COVER:Azorean whaleboats off Horta, Faial, Azores, 2005. The Inter-national Azorean Whaleboat Regatta returns to New Bedford,September 7-14, with the Azorean Whaleman Gallery open-ing September 10. (Photograph by John Robson).

The mission of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society-NewBedford Whaling Museum is: “to educate and interest all thepublic in the historic interaction of humans with whalesworldwide; in the history of Old Dartmouth and adjacentcommunities; and in regional maritime activities.”

John (Jack) W. Braitmayer and Barbara B. FerriJack and Barbara’s legacy with this Museum is deep and will be lasting. As co-chairs of theNavigating the World capital campaign, they raised $14 million to strengthen the Museumboth physically and financially. The impact of this campaign is felt everywhere, from therenovations in the Bourne building and the Research Library, to the new exhibitions andgalleries. Their focus to boost the endowment will provide dividends for perpetuity. Perhapsmost importantly are the hundreds of new supporters who were introduced to our missionthrough their superlative outreach efforts. Stalwart advocates both, Jack and Barbara serveda combined 17 years on the Board. In addition both served as 1st Vice Chair, Jack from

2003-2005, and Barbara from 2006-2008. As if running a capital campaign were not enough, Jack currently serves on the Executive,Facility and Audit Committees and Barbara on the Executive, Trusteeship, Collections and Facility Committees. To top it off, sheco-chairs the “Over the Top” fundraiser this year. Both have deep roots in the area. Three generations of hers have enjoyed summerson Buzzards Bay in Dartmouth while his have focused on Marion.

Carl J. CruzCarl has been a member of this Museumsince 1985. His lifelong interest in his-tory and his interconnectivity with thefabric of this community served this or-ganization exceptionally well for his 6years of Board service plus extended com-mittee tenure. Carl’s also served as clerk

from 2007-2008. In 2005 he co-curated the highly regardedMu-seum exhibition,Our Bondage/Our Freedom: Frederick Douglass &Herman Melville. His guidance at Collection Committee meet-ings plus his leadership on partner exhibitions with the New Bed-ford Historical Society is of high value and deep consequence.

William (Bill) T. KennedyBill’s active participation in the leadershipof this Museum extends back to the lastcentury! As one of his Board roles, heco-chaired with Betty Weinberg theLighting the Way capital campaign andsaw it through to a successful conclusion.Bill brought to the challenge of fundrais-

ing his articulate and determined style as well as his unwaveringsense of humor and boundless energy, raising an astonishing $12million that helped to set theMuseum on its current course. Aftera brief hiatus, Bill rejoined the Board in 2004. Following thebricks and mortar focus of the campaign, Bill set his attention tobuilding the appropriate Board infrastructure in a sensitivefashion that best reflected the cultural strengths of the city and theregion through his chairmanship of the Trusteeship Committeethrough 2008.

Hon. D. Lloyd MacdonaldAs a sittingMassachusetts Superior CourtJudge, the Museum found the perfectperson to assist with governance issues.Prior to joining the Board, Lloyd partic-ipated in developing the 2001-2012Strategic Plan, a critical document neces-sitated by the merger of the Kendall

Whaling Museum. Joining the Board in 2004, Lloyd chaired the“Local HistoryWhalingTask Force” formed following the Board’s2006 Retreat and was principal author of its report that addressedthe recurring existential issue of the Museum’s being at once thehistorical institution of the greater New Bedford region and theworld’s preeminent Museum of international whaling. The TaskForce’s conclusion that these two roles were synergistic rather thanin conflict was unanimously adopted by the Board. He was anatural successor to Bill Kennedy as chair of the Trusteeshipcommittee, a position held for 2 years. Lloyd’s family has beenactively involved in the Museum for generations.

Rita Macedo PachecoBorn and educated in São Miguel,Azores, Rita is a founding member andpast vice president of the AzoreanMaritime Heritage Society. Her guidanceand input as we establish the permanentAzorean Whaleman’s Gallery will be anenduring legacy for her contributions to

this organization. Rita served on the Retail Task Force and wasactively involved with the development of the rentals/events func-tion at the Museum. When it comes to raising the bar, Rita putthis Museum “Over theTop”. Her ability to organize superb galashelped to establish our summer fundraiser as second to none.

Page 3: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

summer bulletin 2010 32 summer bulletin 2010

Returning to our RootsODHSWattles Family Gallery

By Gregory Galer, Ph.D., Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions

he first building acquired by the Old Dartmouth HistoricalSociety was the National Bank of Commerce building on

Water Street. Rebuilt in 1883-4, it was the first bank of NewBedford. The bank ceased operations by 1898 and was pur-chased by the Society with the generous assistance of StandardOil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909), one of theoriginal members of the Old Dartmouth Historical SocietyBoard of Directors. That building is still part of our facility.

The “imposing bank building of brick and brownstone” was re-purposed as a museum, yet many of the original finishes of the

building were left intact – tile floor, wood trim, etc. As the Soci-ety grew and evolved into what we know today as the New Bed-ford Whaling Museum, adjacent buildings were acquired andconjoined into the Museum, and interior uses were modified sothe group of buildings operated as a complex. And complex itis, with a variety of unexpected brick interior walls and oddconnections between galleries.

Yet there is a unique character in the hidden nooks and crannies,and the unexpected discoveries around every corner provide alevel of interest that a modern facility cannot. While a simple

connection of box-like rooms may be the easiest to outfit forexhibitions, such a facility provides little as far as historical con-text or visual interest. When inside our facility you know youare someplace special, for our buildings and galleries themselvesspeak to the uniqueness of this place, even before the firstpicture is hung.

This character will be especially clear in the ODHSWattlesFamily Gallery, opening to the public this June. After decadesof behind-the-scenes use as offices and a collection storage area,the National Bank of Commerce Building will be returning topublic use, a much more appropriate use for such a beautifulspace. Added interior walls have been removed, hundreds ofcollection items relocated, and finishes are being restored tobring this nearly 2,000 square foot gallery back for the publicto enjoy. Located directly adjacent to the Jacobs Family Gallery,the ODHSWattles Family Gallery is sure to be popular.

Its inaugural exhibition will display paintings from our perma-nent collection including William Bradford’s huge “SealersCrushed by Ice,” one of the most treasured paintings in ourcollection, but one we barely had space to display.

Special thanks go to Trustee Gurdon Wattles for recommendinggrant funding for this project through the New York CommunityTrust-Wattles Family Charitable Trust Fund. Anyone who sawthis treasured historic space hidden behind staff-only doors

recognized it was a hidden jewel, but it languished as a dauntingand unfunded task. The Wattles family provided support andimpetus to do what we all knew was the right thing, returningto our roots by bringing the original Museum building back tothe public and revealing this hidden gem.

Sealers Crushed by Icebergs, oil painting byWilliam Bradford, 1866.

T

Wattles FamilyGallery

The original museum galleries of theOld Dartmouth Historical Society

Opening Day | June 26, 2010

Interior view of the National Bank of Commerce, 1895. ODHSWattles Family Gallery under construction, 2010.

Water Street façade of Rogers Building, New BedfordWhaling Museum, circa 1905;now the location of the Wattles Family Gallery.

�There is a unique character in the hiddennooks and crannies, and the unexpected

discoveries around every corner provide a levelof interest that a modern facility cannot.

Today, when you picture our Museum you probably think of the imposing skeletons hanging in the Jacobs Family Gallery,or perhaps the large sperm whale in “Pursuit to Preservation,” or the iconic Lagoda. Few, if any, realize — or even know— that the origins of our Museum are here, too, hidden in areas inaccessible to the public.

Page 4: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

etween 1841 and 1886, Lagoda madetwelve whaling voyages from New

Bedford. She was called Jonathan Bourne’sfavorite vessel, since she was the mostprofitable one, yielding returns oninvestment as high as 363 per cent. Therig was changed to a bark in 1860.

The 1964 re-rigging of the Whaling Mu-seum’s half-scale model was done underthe supervision of Waldo Howland,President of the Concordia Company,Inc., South Dartmouth, Massachusetts,and a trustee at that time of the Museum.Concordia’s chief rigger, George Mon-tigny, worked on Lagoda together withRichard Alberts. In a fine example ofthings coming full circle, Joe Mello beganhis rigging career at Concordia and knewMr. Montigny.

Today Mr. Mello is the proprietor ofRigging Solutions LLC, and is adept atboth traditional and modern rigging. TheLagoda has no wire standing rigging, andis equipped with traditional tarred hempfor the standing rigging, and manila linefor the running rigging. On the day thatthe writer visited the site, Mr. Mello andhis assistant were working with come-alongs. A fine tarry aroma from the rig-ging scented the air. Plastic sheeting andarchitectural staging swathed the Lagoda.Mr. Mello told about discovering hard-ware for studding-sails on the model,which he did not expect to find on awhaler. “Look at the lines of the hull,” heexplained. “This was not a vessel built forspeed.” Studding-sails were commonlyused on clipper ships in a quest for speed.Speed was not as important on a whale-ship—capacity and stability were morecritical, since a whaling voyage might lastfour years in order to return with a fullhold of 2000 barrels or more.

Mr. Mello’s proficiency is the result ofthirty-nine years spent at the rigging

trade. He worked on all three of the his-toric vessels at Mystic Seaport Museum,including the famous Charles W. Morgan,the last surviving Yankee whaleship. Healso works with the latest technology onyachts, where the lines are not rope inthe strict sense of the word, but speciallyengineered fibers.

Mr. Mello clearly conveyed his passionfor rigging, noting that there are variouslevels of accuracy that can be achievedwith historic vessels such as the Lagodamodel. Perfect half-scale was not even

attempted by the original builders, andthe goal today is to restore the model toher appearance when the Bourne Build-ing first greeted visitors in 1916.

An editorial, which appeared in the NewBedford Morning Mercury on Nov. 24,1916, and was reprinted in Old Dart-mouth Historical Sketch # 45, indicated:

“A few years hence it would be impossi-ble to construct such a model. The lastof the whale craftsmen have beenemployed in reproducing the Lagoda.There are tricks of rig in an old whalerthat will be a lost art but a little later. Infact it was difficult even now to findartisans familiar with the building, therig and equipment of a whaleship…”

How fortunate that Joe Mello respectsand admires the rigging of the pastenough to study the materials andtechniques in order to reproduce themin the 21st century, even while his reallivelihood comes from rigging yachtswith space-age technology.

Rigger Joe Mello at work. Photo courtesy of Jim Medeiros.

summer bulletin 2010 54 summer bulletin 2010

Polishing the BottleThe Bourne Building and Lagoda

By Gregory Galer, Ph.D., Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions

s the new Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions, Ibegan my work at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in

January 2010, coincidentally on the day construction began ona $3 million restoration of the Museum’s Bourne Building, the“bottle” that contains the bark Lagoda, the world’s largest shipmodel. Commissioned by Emily Bourne in 1916 in memory ofher father, whaling merchant Jonathan Bourne, the building waspurpose-built to contain the half-scale whaler. Unlike a ship in abottle, in which the ship was viewed from the outside, our shipwas built to be enjoyed from inside its container. Constructed inplace, by shipwrights who built actual whaling vessels, the Lagodamodel was built in the waning days of New Bedford whaling,and the building was intended as a temple of sorts, to forevermemorialize and honor those who built this city from the greatwealth brought by whaling.

For close to a century, the Bourne Building and Lagoda have en-tertained and educated generations of visitors. Thousands uponthousands of children have discovered a love for history byclimbing aboard a whaling ship sized just for kids yet accurateenough to allow them to better understand life in the past.

Yet the erosion of time and many hands and feet had taken theirtoll on the Bourne Building and Lagoda. In addition, the facilityneeded modernizing – anyone who visited on a hot summer dayrecognized the lack of air conditioning. Certainly over the yearsthe Museum had made some incremental upgrades – heat, fireprotection, lighting – and had made many repairs – includingrepairing the roof and re-pointing brick walls in recent years.However, the time had come for a major upgrade: the bottleneeded a thorough polishing.

Thus on my first day, a $3 million renovation of the venerableold Bourne Building commenced, thanks to a $1.5 million grantfrom the National Park Service, a $617,000 grant from theMassachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, and many generous indi-vidual contributions through the ‘Navigating The World’ capitalcampaign. The building closed to the public and scaffolding en-cased the interior. The scaffolding allowed a temporary floor tobe constructed 35 feet up, providing access to the vaulted ceiling,in desperate need of repair. Luckily, my background includessimilar types of construction projects in historic buildings; sincestarting in January I’ve spent more time in the Bourne Buildingor in meetings related to this project than in my office.

Although not technically a full historic restoration, sensitivity tooriginal features is considered in every aspect of the work. Analy-sis of extant finishes, for example, provided data for color selec-tion for the repainted interior. When complete the building willlook, and more importantly, function differently. The vaultedceiling has been protected and insulated from above with newstructural panels. New systems will provide modern heating andcooling, fire protection, lighting and electrical service. Windowshave been insulated and entrances and exits upgraded.

And all has not been focused on the bottle without attention tothe ship. On the following page, read about the work of MasterRigger, Joe Mello. Like the Bourne Building, Lagoda had beenworn by nearly a century of little hands and feet as well as thedeterioration of sails and line caused by exposure to sunlight anda non-air conditioned environment. When the building re-opensthis fall, Lagoda will have new sails aloft, ready for another cen-tury of visitors to enjoy.

Joe Mello looks like a thoroughly modern inhabitant of the 21st century. One would never guess that currently he is spendinghis days re-rigging Lagoda, the half-scale model originally completed in 1916 and most recently updated in 1964. Theactual bark was built in 1826 by Seth and Samuel Foster in Scituate, Massachusetts, and was square-rigged. Before joiningthe New Bedford whaling fleet of Jonathan Bourne Jr. in 1841, the ship was a merchant vessel. Richard Henry Dana, wholater wrote Two Years Before the Mast, observed Lagoda in 1835 during a voyage to California to trade hides.

Before the Mast with Joe Mello

BourneBuildingOpening August

�Interior of the Bourne Buildingand model of Lagoda underrenovation, 2010.

A

B

Page 5: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

summer bulletin 2010 76 summer bulletin 2010

NEWSmuseum

The Bourne SocietyGiving is a family affair for the Keenes

Museum member and formerTrusteeWill Keene became a char-ter member of the Bourne Societyin 2003 when he included theMuseum in his will. In additionto understanding the importanceof supporting the Museum today,he saw the advantage of making acommitment that would benefithis community and the Museumfor years to come.

As Will noted, “I have alwaysconsidered theWhaling Museumto be the cultural cornerstone ofthis region, and my sons and I arevery invested in protecting and securing it for future genera-tions. By including the Museum as a residual beneficiaryin my will, I can make a gift that achieves a much greaterfinancial impact than would otherwise be possible during mylifetime.”

While his first choice was to make this bequest anonymously,Will began to see it as an opportunity to encourage others tojoin the Bourne Society. “I hope to help motivate Museummembers to plan for their own charitable giving in their willsor estates.”

Philanthropy is an important value that Will Keene hasinstilled in his two sons from a young age. Back when they re-ceived their weekly allowance,Tucker, now age 18, and Spencer,16, were asked to set aside a portion each week, and at the endof each year make a donation to the charity of their choice.

James Russell, President of theNew Bedford Whaling Museumsaid, “Like the Keene family, thevalues cherished by the OldDartmouth Historical Society arein the DNA of many people inthe region. We are so grateful toWill, as well as other like-mindedsupporters for their foresight,generosity, and commitment tomaintaining the strong legacy ofthis institution.”

“My name will never be foundon the Forbes 400 list,” remarkedWill, “but once my life is lived

and my affairs are settled I know that this bequest will have asignificant impact on the Museum’s future.”

Will sees the Bourne Society as a means for anyone to make adonation to the Museum, and continue the tradition thatEmily Bourne established over 100 years ago when she builtthe Museum to honor the memory of her father, Jonathan.“Emily gave us both a legacy and an opportunity. What a giftshe gave.”

For more information on becoming a member of the BourneSociety, please call Alison Smart, Director of IndividualGiving, at 508-997-0046, ext. 115, or complete and returnthe Confidential Information Form, below.

� I am interested in learning more about supporting the New BedfordWhaling Museum with a bequest or planned gift and am interested inhaving a confidential conversation.

� I have already included the New Bedford Whaling Museum in mywill or estate plan, and would like to become a member of the BourneSociety.

name(s)

street address

city state zip code

telephone email address

Contact:Alison Smart, Director of Individual Giving

New Bedford Whaling Museum18 Johnny Cake HillNew Bedford, MA 02740-6398.

508-997-0046, ext. 115 or [email protected]

Tucker, Will, and Spencer Keene

Gaylynne DosSantos, Robert Krupa,and Nasha Macedo are the three NewBedford High School 12th graders inthe Whaling Museum’s newly launchedYouth Apprentice Program, which offersin-depth job skills development for localhigh school students, GED candidates,and college students. Our three otherparticipants are Nayda Feliciano, RyanWotton, and Alana Rounds-Jussaume,all juniors at the New Bedford GlobalLearning Charter High School.

Students benefit from hands-on jobskills development and mentoring in a

supportive but professional environment.The program addresses an ongoingcommunity need to provide underservedstudents with the tangible benefits ofemployment, job skills, and awareness ofpathways to rewarding careers. It alsoprovides role models and opportunities todevelop social skills and self confidence.Students follow a structured skills-devel-opment program, while gaining profes-sional work experience and contributingto Museum projects—and earning acompetitive wage.

Under the guidance of Museum staff,apprentices gain a basic understanding ofthe work of the different departments ofthe Museum (Visitor Services, FacilitiesManagement, Education, Library, Collec-tions, Conservation, Resource Center,Finance and the Photo Archives). Stu-dents learn museum-specific skills such ascollections management and artifact care,while also gaining broader experiencewith program development and presenta-tion, cataloging and inventory manage-ment, marketing, finance, and customer

service. They will also be trained to serveas Junior Docents.

Sara Meirowitz, director of education,and Robert Rocha, science program man-ager, worked with the two high schoolson the program’s details and the recruit-ment format, which was modeled aftersimilar initiatives at the Newark Museum,Peabody Essex Museum, Boston Museumof Science, New England Aquarium, andthe Children’s Museum of Manhattan.

Made possible by a private-public part-nership, Museum Trustees launched theprogram utilizing funding from the U.S.Department of Education’s Office ofInnovation and Improvement. Privatedonors include the Jessie Ball duPontFund, The Women’s Fund of the Com-munity Foundation of SoutheasternMassachusetts, Bank of America, theBenjamin Powell Memorial Fund, anda grant recommended by TrusteeGurdon B. Wattles through the HowardBayne Fund.

New high school apprentice program rollout

World’s largest model of a Concordia Yawl

Tom Borges and his Concordia

On display through Summer 2010This one-third scale model was created by Tom Borges, a localartist, sculptor and ship’s carpenter, over the course of sevenyears. It was built from scratch using Concordia plans along withthe artist’s own drawings and measurements, taken at ConcordiaBoatyard, South Dartmouth.

With the mast stepped the boat stands 22-feet tall, keel tomasthead. It has handmade bronze fittings, a 200-pound leadkeel and the hull measures 15’ 2” in length with a 44” beam.

A Mattapoisett native and graduate of UMASS Dartmouth,Borges studied Fine Art, majoring in Sculpture. He built themodel at his New Bedford studio, located in the formerBerkshire-Hathaway Mill.

Designed to sail, the model has a snug pilot seat built into theminiature cabin at the bottom of the companionway, allowingit to be skippered by a set of controls from below decks, with ahead-and-shoulders view of the exterior. It will be on display inthe Jacobs Family Gallery through the summer.

Learning the ropes (and bones) of the museum: NashaMacedo, Robert Krupa, and Gaylynne DosSantos

Page 6: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

he Melville Society Archive represents a cordial affiliationbetween the New Bedford Whaling Museum, its Research

Library, and the Melville Society Cultural Project, an academicgroup dedicated to community outreach and programmingorganized around the life and works of Herman Melville. Thearchive, dedicated in 2002, rests on two colossal pillars, theMelville collections of Harrison Hayford and Merton M. Sealts,Jr., towering figures from the seminal generation of Melvillescholars. Together they edited the text of Billy Budd read univer-sally today (no easy task, given the state in which Melville leftthe manuscript at his death) and between them, though not al-ways working together, helped produce the scholarly 15-volumeNorthwestern-Newberry edition of TheWritings of HermanMelville as well as a thorough inventory of Melville’s reading,

and some of the finest twentieth-century criticism of Melville’sworks. Their separate bequests to the Melville Society in turn at-tracted substantial donations from other important scholars andreaders of Melville: Elizabeth Schultz, Robert K. Wallace,Thomas Wendel, William Reese, Jill Barnum, Walter Bezanson,Gail Coffler, Charles N. Watson Jr., Joyce Sparer Adler, RobertD. Madison, and others. The archive, now numbering over 2000volumes, continues to grow and to support outreach projects likea modest research grant to graduate students and our BookDonation program, through which we send surplus books tounderserved universities and libraries abroad. To date, we havesent books to Russia, India, China, Palestine, the Ukraine, andAlgeria, all of which have a keen interest in Melville.

Like many archives, this one started with certain predictable“old books” goals. We wanted Melville first editions; thanks toThomas Wendel, we received a beautiful collection of rarevolumes. We wanted the best scholarly editions of Melville’sworks; Hayford, Sealts, and other donors gave them in abun-

dance. Because of Melville’s dominance as cultural icon, welooked for illustrated editions, from fine art books to cheapbestsellers, as well as various kinds of adaptations: comic books,editions based on films, abridged editions, books in translation.As an academic organization, we of course wanted the bestcriticism we could find. Hayford, Sealts, and Wendel gave us asubstantial foundation of classic scholarship extending well intothe 1980s. We are assembling more recent works as well. We alsosought and were delighted to receive working copies and markedbooks belonging to some of the most important Melville scholarsof the twentieth century—a different kind of “rare” book. Withguidance from Dennis Marnon, of Harvard University’sHoughton Library, we are learning professional standards forscholarly archives and have acquired museum-quality materialsfor boxing, labeling, and shelving our books and papers.

The particular interests and unique situation of the MelvilleSociety Cultural Project team, however, have led the collectionin unexpected directions, and these have enabled forms of schol-arship that you might not find in more established scholarlyarchives. There is first and foremost the fact that the Melvillearchive is housed in a maritime museum, not a university, as isusually the case. Visitors with an interest in whaling or maritimehistory and culture will find an unexpectedly rich trove ofMelville-related materials. Melville scholars, like the graduatestudents we support through our research fellowship, can experi-ence the vital synergy of reading Melville in buildings burstingwith nautical charts, logbooks, artifacts, paintings, photographs,documents—even whale skeletons. The Melville Archive and theWhaling Museum’s collection enrich each other in ways we arejust learning to appreciate and develop.

In Part II, we will look at areas of the Archive which focus onMelville and the arts, Melville’s own source materials and theMelville scholars themselves, in a future issue of The Bulletinfrom Johnny Cake Hill.

Melville Society members Nathan Adams and Mary K. Bercaw Edwards at work inthe archive.

To answer a recent research inquiry,I had the pleasure of rediscovering a

rare little published pamphlet, a whalingnarrative of the late 1840s, with directrelevance to the Museum’s holdings. Theforty-five page pamphlet was entitled inits first printing Five Years on the PacificOcean, or the Blind Man’s Narrative.J[ohn] C. Mullett was the author, and itwas published in Cleveland by E. Cowles& Co., printers, Leader Office in 1858.1

The second edition, entitled A Five Years’Whaling Voyage, Experienced andWrittenby J.C. Mullett was published in Cleve-land by Fairbanks, Benedict & Co. in1859. It was sixty-eight pages long in asmaller format, but it included severalextra paragraphs explicitly describing thecircumstances under which Mullett losthis eyesight.

In the narrative John Mullett indicatesthat he came from Weymouth, in Dorset-shire County, England at the age of 18.He writes that he “engaged a passage onboard the bark Orleans from St. Johns,[New Brunswick] bound for New York”where he was talked into going whalingby an agent described as a “soft tongued,black hearted schemer”– a not uncom-mon occurrence.2 After he was “en-trapped” by the shipping agent, heshipped out to New Bedford onboardan old steamboat and upon his arrivalin 1848 stayed at the boarding houseof James C. Carter at 166 South WaterStreet. Shortly thereafter, he joined theship George & Susan, David C. Wightmaster, on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean.3

Mullett’s narrative is almost completelyverified by primary holdings in the NewBedford Whaling Museum Collectionand that of the Free Public Library. TheSeamen’s Register of the New BedfordPort Society lists him as coming fromManchester, England, aged 18 when heshipped aboard the George & Susan ofNew Bedford. The crew list held at the

New Bedford Free Public Library notesthat he shipped as blacksmith on board.This is verified by several specific entriesin the logbook. The entry of November11, 1848 for instance includes “built ablacksmith forge and set the blacksmithto work.” The narrative states that it wasa blacksmithing accident that caused himto lose his sight when a small piece ofsteel penetrated his left eye.

Mullett’s narrative describes his desertionfrom the George & Susan at Honolulu, hissubsequent joining of an Australian vesselbound for China and later joining theship Champion of New Bedford, Water-man master, in Hong Kong on a voyageto the Arctic. This is confirmed in thelogbook of the Champion’s voyage,ODHS Log #258, held in the New Bed-ford Whaling Museum Research Library.

Mullett’s story is true. Stories such as hiswere sometimes told by crippled survivors

of various tragedies in order to earn somemoney on which to live. The Narrativeof the Wreck and Loss of the Whaling BrigWilliam and Joseph of Martha’s Vineyard(Boston, 1842) was written by the captainof the vessel, Elisha Dexter, who survivedthe wreck but was uninsured for hislosses. Two 1835 whaling prints, Captur-ing a SpermWhale and A Shoal of SpermWhale off the Island of Hawaii, werecreated by Cornelius Hulsart who lost anarm in the whale fishery. Small discoveriessuch as these serve to invigorate ourunderstanding of the personal nature ofthe big history that we interpret in theMuseum every day.

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LoomingsOld Books, New Reading – Part I

The Melville Society Archive at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

By Wyn Kelley and Mary K. Bercaw Edwards, Melville Society Cultural Project

VignettesCuratorial

T

Fact or Fiction?By Michael P. Dyer, Maritime Curator

George and Susan

Herman Melville Family DaySaturday | July 31, 201011:00 am – 2:00 pmJoin us for a fun-filled day celebrating HermanMelville’s birthday. Activities will include areading of a children’s version of Moby-Dick, ascience activity and an art project. The winnersof the Melville Art Contest will be announcedand we will end the day with some birthday cake!

1 Office where pamphlet was printed, ClevelandMorning Leader, 1854-1865.

2 For a similar account see: J. Ross Browne, Etchingsof a Whaling Cruise (New York, 1846).

3 Logbook #272, NB Free Public Library, offersinsight into Mullett’s behavior on shipboard.

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SUMMER 2010 CALENDARnew bedford whaling museum

All Hands OnEvery Monday, July 5 through August 1610:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Docents will be available to answer questions, read stories about whales andwhaling, and encourage children to investigate the contents of DiscoverySea Chests. Plan your arrival at any time during these hours and explore themuseum at your own pace.

Science TuesdaysJuly 13, July 27, August 3, August 10, August 1710:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Join our teen apprentices in the Jacobs Family Gallery as they examine andexplain a variety of marine and whale science topics. These programs featurehands-on learning and keepsakes from the activities.

Highlights TourEvery Tuesday, July 6 through August 172:00 p.m.

Join a docent for a 45-minute tour that focuses on the highlights of theMuseum’s collection. The tour will leave from the front desk.

Signal FlagsEvery Wednesday, July 7 though August 1810:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Maritime signal flags are a way of representing individual letters of thealphabet in signals to or from ships. Children will learn about signal flagsand create a banner to take home as a souvenir.

Sailors’ ValentinesEvery Thursday, July 8 through August 1910:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Children will learn how to make Sailor’s Valentines, traditional giftswhalemen gave their wives and sweethearts upon returning from a voyage.Take your valentine home as a keepsake.

Highlights TourEvery Friday, July 9 through August 2011:00 a.m.

Join a docent for a 45-minute tour that focuses on the highlights of theMuseum’s collection. Tour will leave from the front desk.

Family Friendly FridaysEvery Friday, July 9 through August 271:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Family Friendly Fridays will feature a different family program each week.This program is supported by a grant from the New Bedford CulturalCouncil, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts CulturalCouncil, a state agency.

All family programs are FREE for children with a paid adult admission.

Sponsored by:

family programsA Hunt for Knowledge Exhibit OpeningFriday, May 28, 5:30 p.m.This wonderful exhibit addresses questions frequently asked by visitors aboutthe status of current efforts to study and protect whales. The exhibit containsartifacts and information on a wide variety of topics including satellitetracking equipment, a photograph of Fargo the whale-scat-sniffing dog, andfishing equipment used to reduce the likelihood of whale entanglement.Museum staff worked cooperatively with several active researchers to collectmaterials for the exhibit. Come see if you can identify right whales by theirunique markings or listen to the diverse sounds and songs of differenttypes of whales.

New Exhibit: Photography from the New Bedford Standard,1895-1920 Exhibit OpeningThursday, June 17, 1:00 p.m.The Whaling Museum is fortunate to hold, through gifts of The Standard-Times, Everett S. Allen, and John D. Wilson, a collection of dry-plate glassnegatives made between the years 1895-1925. These images were producedto illustrate stories in the New Bedford Standard, forerunner to the Stan-dard-Times. The earliest of them were part of the nascent halftone printingprocess which quickly took hold and added a new dimension to the printedpage. This exhibit in the Museum’s San Francisco Room will examinenewsworthy people, events, and places in the New Bedford region duringthe transitional decades that saw the end of the horse-and-buggy era and theemergence of a modern city. Curated by Michael Michael Lapides, Directorof Digital Initiatives / Curator of Photography.

ODHSWattles Family Gallery Exhibit OpeningSaturday, June 26, 3:00 p.m.

Gala Ribbon-Cutting CeremonyThe public is cordially invited to join the Board of Trustees, Mayor Scott W.Lang and elected officials at a Gala Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony to re-openthe 103 year old Water Street Entrance of the Old Dartmouth HistoricalSociety’s original museum space, now restored as the Old DartmouthHistorical Society Wattles Family Gallery.

Grand Re-Opening of the Bourne BuildingAugust (Time and date to be announced)Join the Board of Trustees for a gala ribbon cutting at the Old DartmouthHistorical Society’s largest building of the Whaling Museum complex atopJohnny Cake Hill: The Jonathan Bourne Building. Erected in 1915, thenewly restored interior includes refurbishments to the sails and rigging ofthe Lagoda, the world’s largest ship model.

Gala ribbon cutting of the new Azorean Whaleman GallerySeptember 10, 6:00 p.m.The Azorean Whaleman Gallery provides the only permanent exhibitionspace in the United States that honors the Portuguese people and their sig-nificant contribution to the maritime heritage of New Bedford, the regionand the nation. The exhibition will chronicle the Azorean/American cul-tural exchange of the 19th centuries, and through a shared whaling heritage,its importance to the growth of the Greater New Bedford region throughout20th Century. The exhibit will focus on a cultural overview of the AzoreanArchipelago and the Azorean diaspora, the whaling vessels that frequentedthe “western islands,” and the people that tied New Bedford to them, as re-lated through the art and artifacts of both locations from the whaling era tothe present.

exhibitions

After HoursLast Friday of the Month, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.There is no better way to start off the weekend! $5 for Museum membersand Cardoza’s Rewards cardholders. $10 for general public, 21 and olderonly. Visit www.whalingmuseum.org for more information

Nate Mott BandFriday, July 30

Infusion ExperienceFriday, August 27

Shawn Monteiro and the New Bedford Jazz Quartetwith John Harrison & Jim RobatailleFriday, September 24

Pumpkin Head TedFriday, October 29

Blues TrainFriday, November 26

City Celebrates!July 15, 22, 29 and August 5, 19, 26 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

John Mock PerformanceAugust 5, 7:30 p.m., Museum PlazaFrom the Shoreline concert presentation John Mock–a show that combineshis maritime-themed folk/classical music, performed on guitar, concertinaand whistle, and his fine art photography of coastal scenes from NewEngland, Ireland and Scotland. Find his CD “The Day At Sea” in theMuseum Store

Triton Brass:Music for a Summer EveThursday evening, July 22, 7:30 p.m.A good, old-fashioned town band concert! Based in Boston, Triton Brass isan exciting musical collaborative comprising five of the region’s most prom-ising young brass artists. Four of the five members of Triton Brass are alsomembers of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Triton is in its secondyear as artists-in-residence at The Boston Conservatory. For more informa-tion about Triton Brass: http://www.tritonbrass.org/

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra WindsDown to the Sea In ShipsFriday afternoon, July 30, 3:00 p.m.A musical celebration of all things nautical in honor of Herman Melville’sbirthday on August 1. Features the outstanding wind and brass players fromthe NBSO in a concert of unique pieces, some arranged especially for thisperformance, with the common focus of sailing, fishing, and the sea.

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra String QuartetElegant EveningsThursday evening, August 19, 7:30 p.m.The NBSO String Quartet is comprised of some of the finest performers inthe NBSO, and will present a program of diverse works written as elegantand entertaining music for an evening in the “parlor.” Charming, witty,diverting – the perfect recipe for a summer evening concert!

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra WindsWinds of Change: a Program of Music for Windsfrom Four CenturiesFriday afternoon, August 27, 3:00 p.m.Explore the glories of wind repertoire from the 18th Century to the presentwith the outstanding wind and brass players from the NBSO as they presentexceptional representatives of wind repertoire from Mozart’s time to 2005!

performancesAHA! New Bedford: Walking ToursThursday, June 10, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.AHA! is a monthly free celebration of arts and culture in New Bedford. Mu-seum and programs open to the public, sponsored by Bank of America. Freeadmission. For more information on all AHA events, visit: ahanewbedford.org

Day of Portugal4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Jacobs Family GalleryThe museum celebrates ‘Dia de Portugal’ with Azorean Artisans demonstrat-ing traditional crafts in the Jacobs Family Gallery.

Communities of New Bedford Lecture Series: So Ends This Day:The Portuguese in American Whaling, 1765-19277:30 p.m., Museum TheaterDr. Don Warrin author of this new book will provide an overview of this longoverlooked area of whaling history. Nathaniel Philbrick writes, “For far toolong the Portuguese contribution to American whaling has been relegated tothe sidelines of history. This meticulously researched and well-written studyputs the emphasis where it rightfully belongs.” The book is being published bythe Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMASS Dartmouth. Booksigning to follow.

New Bedford Celebrates Summerfest!Saturday & Sunday, July 3 & 4

AHA! New Bedford: Kids RuleThursday, July 8, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.AHA! is a monthly free celebration of arts and culture in New Bedford. Mu-seum and programs open to the public, sponsored by Bank of America. Freeadmission. For more information on all AHA events, visit: ahanewbedford.org

Communities of New Bedford Lecture Series: The Essential Islands:The Azores, Cape Verde and the West Indies7:30 p.m., Museum TheaterWhaling Museum Maritime Curator, Michael Dyer, will discuss the impor-tance of the Azores, Cape Verde and the West Indies to the American whalingindustry.

Over The Top, Around theWorld! A Gala Summer FundraiserSaturday, August 7, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Join us for this gala summer celebration to benefit the New Bedford WhalingMuseum. Over the Top is a casually elegant, fun-filled evening featuring avariety of delectable food, fabulous entertainment, and a live and silentauction of remarkable items. For reservations, call 508-997-0046 ext. 115.

AHA! New Bedford: Summer SoundsThursday, August 12, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.AHA! is a monthly free celebration of arts and culture in New Bedford. Mu-seum and programs open to the public, sponsored by Bank of America. Freeadmission. For more information on all AHA events, visit: ahanewbedford.org

Communities of New Bedford Lecture Series: The Azores: From Whaler’sRefuge to Sailor’s Destination7:30 p.m., Museum TheaterVictor Pinheiro, President of the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society andavid sailor, will trace the historical relationship between New Bedford and theAzores and highlight the cultural ties that still bind the two locations.

AHA! New Bedford: New Bedford CulturesThursday, September 9, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.AHA! is a monthly free celebration of arts and culture in New Bedford. Mu-seum and programs open to the public, sponsored by Bank of America. Freeadmission. For more information on all AHA events, visit: ahanewbedford.org

Meet the Azorean Regatta Rowing Teams5:00 – 9:00 p.m., Casa dos Botes

Ilhas Da Bruma Folkloric Dancers6:30 p.m., Museum Plaza

Communities of New Bedford Lecture Series: Alfred Lewis andthe American Dream7:30 p.m., Museum TheaterDr. Frank F. Sousa will examine the idea of the American Dream as literarymotif in two published novels and a narrative poem by the Portuguese-Ameri-can writer Alfred Lewis (1902-1977). Dr. Sousa is Professor of Portuguese andDirector of the UMD Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture.

events and lectures

Herman Melville Family DayJuly 3111:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Join us for a fun-filled day celebrating Herman Melville’s birthday. Activitieswill include a reading of a children’s version of Moby Dick, a scienceactivity and an art project. The winners of the Melville Art Contest willbe announced and we will end the day with some birthday cake!

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AHA! (Art, History & Architecture)New BedfordDowntown Cultural Night with 42 venuepartners every 2nd Thursday.ahanewbedford.org

ArtWorks!384 Acushnet AvenueGalleries, classrooms, ceramic studios,A/V computer lab, and teen arts center.artworksforyou.org

Buttonwood Park Zoo425 Hawthorn StreetTen acres with 30 exhibits and morethan 200 animals.bpzoo.org

Ernestina10 State PierSchooner Ernestina is the last survivingtransatlantic packet to carry immigrantsto America under sail.ernestina.org

Fire Museum51 Bedford StreetSet in an 1866 firehouse, it features restoredapparatus, vehicles, living quarters, and olduniforms for kids to try on.

Ft. Taber/Ft. Rodman Park & MilitaryMuseum1000c Rodney French Blvd.This 47-acre park features a Civil War erafortress, walking paths overlooking BuzzardsBay and a community-run museum of theregion’s military history.forttaber.org

Gallery X169William StreetA contemporary, cooperative of visual,performing and literary artists.galleryx.org

New Bedford Art Museum608 Pleasant StreetThe New Bedford Art Museum engages thepublic in experiencing, understanding andappreciating art.newbedfordartmuseum.org

New Bedford National Park Service33William StreetThe only national park site dedicated topreserving and interpreting America’snineteenth century whaling story.nps.gov/nebe

New Bedford Symphony OrchestraZeiterion, 684 Purchase StreetOne of the oldest regional orchestras in thenation, the NBSO performs a full rangeof orchestral repertoire.www.nbsymphony.org

Ocean Explorium174 Union StreetA center for ocean science public education, theExplorium consists of a series of living aquaticenvironments and interactive exhibits.oceanexplorium.org

Rotch-Jones-Duff House Garden& Museum396 County StreetOne of the finest surviving examples of residen-tial Greek Revival architecture, the house (1834)and gardens reveal the city during its golden age.rjdmuseum.org

Seamen’s Bethel15 Johnny Cake HillBuilt in 1832, the Bethel continues today as ahouse of prayer and a standing memorial toall New Bedford mariners lost at sea.portsociety.org

University Art Gallery,UMD Star Store Campus715 Purchase StreetHome to a number of impressive exhibitionspaces, it features exhibitions of local,national, and international renown.umassd.edu/cvpa/universityartgallery

Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society11 Cherry St., Fairhaven, MAThe WMFS operates the historic WhitfieldHouse and fosters the Sister City relationshipbetween Fairhaven/New Bedford andTosashimizu, Japan.manjiro1.tripod.com

AWorking WaterfrontA famous old whaling port, it continues to earnits living from the sea. Today, New Bedford is anauthentic seaport city with a large fishing fleetand working waterfront.ci.new-bedford.ma.us/Tourism

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center684 Purchase StreetThe “Z” offers performing arts programmingof excellence that inspires, educates, engagesand entertains.zeiterion.org

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A Brief Look at Azoreansand Cape Verdeans in theAmerican Whaling Industry

So Ends This Day: The Portuguese in AmericanWhaling, 1765-1927,will be published this spring by the University of MassachusettsDartmouth. It is a story of the American whaling industry, from

its remote beginnings to its anticlimactic end, albeit told from a particular perspective, that ofthe Portuguese—at the time almost exclusively Azorean or Cape Verdean islanders—who, overthe course of the industry, assumed an increasingly important role. As T. Bentley Duncan hasobserved (1972, 1), “Small islands situated in the midst of seas and oceans, remote from thecontinental land masses, often possess a high importance in communications, navigation, andstrategy—an importance out of all relation to their size and resources.”

uch was certainly the case with thePortuguese archipelagoes of the Azores,

situated some 1,000 miles west of Lisbon;Cape Verde, lying off the coast of Senegal;and Madeira, west of Morocco, from thesixteenth through the nineteenth cen-turies. There is considerable evidence thatthe Azores and Madeira had been visitedby Italian and Portuguese mariners in thefourteenth century. But the traditionaldates of discovery are: Madeira, ca. 1418-20; Azores, ca. 1427; and Cape Verde,ca. 1456. The settlement of the island ofMadeira and neighboring Porto Santobegan soon after discovery. That of theAzores took place during the 1440s, andCape Verde, by the early 1460s. The set-tlement patterns of the Azores differedsignificantly from that of Cape Verde.To the former came not only Portuguesefrom the mainland but also a number ofFlemings. On the other hand, under thePortuguese, the relatively infertile CapeVerde islands, lying some 300 miles westof the coast of Senegal, became deeplyinvolved in the slave trade. Slaves fromthe African mainland were employed onthe local plantations, and the archipelagobecame an entrepôt for the Portugueseslave trade with the Americas.

In 1975 Cape Verde won its independ-ence from Portugal, and the followingyear the Azores and Madeira becameautonomous regions of the nation.

Filling out a Crew in the Islands

One of the ways to fill out a whaling crewwas to leave port shorthanded and pickup men on the voyage out. Since it wascommon for American whaling vessels tocall at the Azores for supplies on the out-ward voyage, it early became the practice

to sign on men, especially from the west-ern group of the islands: Flores, Corvo,Faial, Pico, and São Jorge; as well as occa-sionally from those islands to the east.Young men were picked up from CapeVerde as well, Brava and São Nicolaubecoming the most common points, al-

Bark Wanderer on the rocks at Sow and Pigs Reef, Cuttyhunk, August 16, 1924.

S

NEW BEDFORDdestination

By Donald Warrin, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

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Effects of the Civil War

With the Civil War the great period ofAmerican whaling came to an end, al-though the industry would be relativelyprosperous for a diminishing number ofparticipants into the next century. Of allthe wartime damages to the whalingindustry the most destructive were theactivities of the Confederate warshipShenandoah under Capt. James I. Waddell.Operating late in the war and continuing,in fact, after the war had ended, Waddellmanaged to decimate the western Arcticfleet, burning twenty vessels and—becausehe had not sufficient room for prisoners—bonding four more to carry them to port.By the summer of 1865 the depredationsof Waddell and the Shenandoah were wellknown among the Arctic whalemen.

Joseph F. Francis, a native of Pico, Azores,and a seaman on the ship Milo of NewBedford—also a future whaling masterhimself—recalled many years later theday that Captain Waddell interrupted apleasant gam between three New Bedfordmasters and the ensuing destruction.The Milo was cruising at the time in theBering Sea, some twenty-five miles east-ward of the Siberian coast. Nearby werethe bark Jireh Swift, Captain Thomas W.Williams, and the ship Sophia Thornton,under the command of veteran master,Moses G. Tucker—both sailing out ofNew Bedford. The latter ship had justcome up from Honolulu loaded withfresh provisions, and the captains wereaboard her sharing the latest news when acry from the masthead alerted them to an

approaching steamer. Fearing the worstthe Sophia Thornton and the Jireh Swiftmade all sail in an attempt to escape.Both were no match, however, for theShenandoah; and soon they were rundown—not without a cry of protestfrom Captain Williams that could havecome from the mouth of any of themasters of the twenty-four whaleshipsbonded or burned by the Confederateprivateer.

Francis recalled that, as the Shenandoahapproached the Jireh Swift CaptainWilliams vented to Waddell, calling hima coward and suggesting he should besomewhere south in the Pacific takingon the Union’s men-of-war instead ofdestroying these defenseless whalers.Williams at that point shouted to Wad-dell to come on to his quarterdeck andfight him. If Waddell thrashed him,then he could burn the Jireh Swift, butif Williams won, then he and his vesselshould be left to go in peace, “but notaward was said from the Privateer, shesent her prize crew on board to cut awaythe mast[s] and then set fire to her and inshort time the Bark Jerry Swift was all ina blaze (Francis 1915).” The Milo, whichhad been boiling at the time and was onshort sail, could not even make an at-tempt to escape. It was bonded by Wad-dell and given the task of returning theShenandoah’s prisoners to San Francisco.

The Post Civil War Era

By 1875 two trends were apparent—theindustry was shrinking, and the CapeVerdean presence was increasing rapidly.That year there were fifty-eight voyagesout of Buzzards Bay. A compilation offifty-four of these shows that twenty-ninepercent of the whalemen were Por-tuguese, with more than half of these(fifty-four percent) from Cape Verde.Factoring in the additional Portuguesecustomarily signed on at the islands, thisfigure corroborates Elmo Hohman’sestimate that by 1880 the crews of theNew Bedford whaling fleet consisted ofone-third each of Americans, Portuguese,and others.

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though other islands were often visited.Other islanders from the South Pacificand later the West Indies helped to fillout a whaleship’s crew. Limitations oflanguage and education, and some Yan-kee prejudice, would most generally keepthem from a mate’s berth in the earlyyears. But, nevertheless, they might signon again and again in the hope of accu-mulating a nest egg to sustain them onceagain in their native land. Sailing on anAmerican whaler, especially for thePortuguese, was also a way to newsettlements in New England, California,and beyond.

Early Portuguese on the Quarterdeck

The first well-documented voyage ofan American whaling vessel under Por-tuguese command was that of the shipLiverpool of New Bedford (1838-40)under Captain Joseph Thomas, born on

the island of Terceira, Azores. Againunder his command in 1840-42 theLiverpool whaled in the Indian Ocean.His final voyage, to the Northwest Coastin the ship St. George, was relatively brief(eighteen months) but successful.

In fact, although the Portuguese stillformed a relatively minor component ofthe American whaling fleet at this time, anumber of natives of the Azores and CapeVerde had begun to ascend to the highest

levels of shipboard responsibility. SeverinoD. Pierce [Pires] was born on the islandof Brava, Cape Verde, about 1817. Hisfirst recorded service is aboard the shipMagnolia of New Bedford (June 1845-Oct. 1848). He then served as secondmate of the ship Gratitude (Dec. 1848-May 1851). In November of 1848, be-tween these two voyages, Pierce managedto travel to Stonington, Connecticut,where he married Harriet H. Nichols.Within a fortnight he was off on theGratitude. A month after his return Piercesailed on a three-year voyage as mate ofthe ship America of New Bedford (June1851-June 1854). Clearly, participationin the whaling industry was not con-ducive to an ordinary home life.

Shoreside Activities

One of the most successful Portugueseinvolved in shoreside activities wasThomas Luce. Born on the island ofFlores in 1827 or 1828, he came to theU.S. in August of 1843 aboard the barkBrunette of Falmouth. Captain EdwardM. Luce took a liking to the youngster;his own young son, Thomas R. Luce,having recently died. Becoming a fatherfigure to the young Azorean, Luce sawthat he adopted the name of his late son.

Luce sailed the next year as an ordinaryseaman on the ship Roman II of NewBedford at a 1/170 lay, returning in Julyof 1847. As he had signed with an X forthe name Thomas Luiz, it is apparent thatat this date young Luce was, like so manyof his compatriots, illiterate. In 1849 hetried his hand, evidently somewhat suc-

cessfully, at mining in California duringthe Gold Rush. Upon his return he estab-lished himself in the cooperage businessand, in 1852, married Hannah, thedaughter of Captain and Mrs. Luce. Inlater years Luce was active as a shippingagent. Starting with a small-percentageownership in 1867 of the New Bedfordwhaler Robert Edwards, he eventuallybecame the major or sole owner of suchvessels as the schooners Antarctic, FrancisAllyn, Charles H. Hodgdon, Clara L.Sparks, Era, Mary E. Simmons, PearlNelson, SarahW. Hunt, Star King, andthe barks Desdemona, and Gay Head II.

Brava, Cape Verde.

Portrait of Thomas Luce.

Horta, Faial, Azores.

Don’t miss Dr.Warrin’s lecture, So Ends This Day: ThePortuguese in American Whaling, 1765-1927, on June10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum Theater. Published bythe UMD Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture,his new book will be available for signing.

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The Experiences of Two Twentieth-Century Whaling Masters

Antonio C. Corvello (1879-1920) wasborn on the island of Flores and came tothe U.S. at the age of fourteen aboard thewhaling brig Frances A. Barstow. His com-mands came late in the industry at a timewhen, due to the difficulty of obtainingcrew members, it often became necessary

to entice men to sign on through varioussubterfuges. Ill-prepared for such voyagesthese men would often desert at the firstport of call, usually at the island of Faial,Azores. One method of avoiding deser-tion was simply not to call at any port.That was the tactic of Capt. Corvellowhen he kept the schooner Pedro Varelaaway from port in the Atlantic for sixmonths, only to contribute to the dissat-isfaction that led ultimately to the so-called “mutiny” of 1911. As was typical atthe time, the captain, officers, and boat-steerers were Azorean and Cape Verdean,while the greenhorns “were a motley gangof Americans, small-time criminals, a self-confessed murderer, a drug addict andpeddler, and a burglar.” (Poole 1977,135) Discontented with the crampedquarters in the forecastle and the qualityof the food, these men, after complainingin vain to the captain—and being placedon short rations for it—took it uponthemselves to throw overboard most ofthe whaling implements as well as smash-ing the windlass and the tryworks. Thusthe captain was forced to head for Faial,from where the “mutineers” were eventu-ally taken by a Navy ship to the U.S.where they were tried and convicted, butshortly thereafter released from prison—for this had not technically been amutiny, since no one had refused to takeorders, nor had they attacked anyone, noreven planned to take the ship by force.

On a later voyage Captain Corvello wasfortunate to survive a true mutiny. It wasAugust, 1917, and U-boats were prowlingthe Atlantic—not a good time to gather acrew for an extended cruise in those seas.Just a few days after Corvello sailed thebark Greyhound out of New Bedford, apod of whales was sighted and three boatslowered. Only five men plus the captainremained on deck. As the cook and messboy were at work in the galley they wereattacked by two men, and the formersuffered a serious knife wound. Corvello,who was occupied in training his glasseson the boats, heard a noise and catchingsight of someone brandishing a largeknife, made for the rigging; and there hewas able to set the flags informing theboats to return immediately. The muti-neers were soon subdued and put inirons. The Greyhound continued to whalefor three more months, before cominginto Barbados, whereupon the mutineersreportedly slipped away before they couldbe handed over to the authorities.

John T. Gonsalves was born on theisland of Brava in 1858. At the age ofeleven he shipped as cabin boy on thewhaling bark Roman II out of New Lon-don. For many years he followed the seain whalers and even spent a stint coastingand barging, as well as participating inthe Cape Verde packet trade. One of hismost perilous experiences took place dur-ing World War I. The Atlantic was anespecially dangerous place at that timewith the threat from German U-boats. InJune of 1918 Capt. Gonsalves abruptlybrought in the schooner A. M. Nicholsonafter a frightening experience with one.As he related his experience to a reporter:

The submarine glided alongside theNicholson and then shot across mybows. I gave him the American flag buthe didn’t answer and submerged. Ithought he was an American craft, butwhen he submerged without answeringmy flag I grew suspicious, and whenhe went down I went to the south’ardto try to get out of his way. I had notsailed very far when up came thesubmarine again, and I gave him theAmerican flag again.

This time the submarine gave me backthe German flag with another flag be-neath it, and ordered us to heave to atonce. He gave us a gun across our bowsto emphasize the fact that he wanted usto stop, and we were not long in goinginto the wind, and dropping our boats.We put all our crew, some 25 men intotwo whaleboats, and according toinstructions, pulled alongside the sub-marine, after pulling alongside ourvessel for some time. We didn’t taketime to let the sails down, thinking

that we might get a shot or a torpedoany minute.

The submarine steamed alongside myboats, and her captain sang out: “Whatis your vessel doing?”

“Catching sperm whales,” I replied.

“Catching any other fish?” he askedme, and I told him we were not.

“For God’s sake, captain,” I said,“don’t sink this vessel, I am a poorman and it will ruin me, as I am abig owner in her.”

With that, the officer, and I think hewas the mate, laughed, and said hewould report to the captain. He salutedanother officer who proved to be thecaptain, who hailed me, and said,“Don’t you know that it is a poor timeto buy vessel property when people areat war?”

“I bought this craft before the warstarted,” I answered.

Noting Gonsalves’s accent the Germancaptain inquired as to his nationality.When Gonsalves mentioned that he wasPortuguese the German softened hisstance, praising the Portuguese as greatmariners. Then, as Gonsalves noted,

The German captain caught sight ofthe Ellen A. Swift, Captain Dunham,whaling a little ways from me and heasked me what the craft was, and whatshe was doing. I told him it was awhaler, like us, and he waved his handat me, and said, “You get aboard yourvessel, and get home as quick as youcan, and tell the other vessel to go inwith you, and don’t you let me catchyou out this way again.”

Well, you can believe that I didn’t stopto whale it any more. I spoke the Swiftthe next day, and we came home to-gether. After leaving me, the submarinemade over towards the Swift, and just asshe was about to speak that whaler she

sighted a big steamer (supposed to havebeen the Norwegian steamer sank lastWednesday), and leaving the Swift shewent over and sank the steamer. TheSwift and the Nicholson kept companyand came in together.

(New Bedford Morning Mercury,15 Mar 1928.)

Portuguese Across the Globe

One result of the Azorean and CapeVerdean participation in Americanwhaling were settlement patterns in NewEngland, California, and Hawaii. Butsmaller communities developed as wellin such diverse places as Alaska, NewZealand, and the various Pacific atolls.In ports that were commonly frequentedby American whaleships, such as Talc-ahuano, Chile; Paita, Peru; Mangonui,New Zealand; and many others, it wascommon to find Portuguese sailors await-ing a voyage out or even, perhaps, think-ing about settling down. For example, thebark Alice of Cold Spring Harbor, whileat Tasmania (then known as VanDiemen’s Land) in 1852, took on Manueland Charles Sylva as seamen, and whileat Hilo in March of the following year,signed on Francis and Philip Silva as ordi-nary seamen for the season, dischargingthem in Honolulu that November.

Joshua Beane, sailing on the whaling barkJava under Captain Manuel Enos (bornon the island of Pico) in the mid-1860s,remarked on the Portuguese presence inthe western Pacific when the bark calledat the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan.He noted that there “were living a curiouscrowd of some fifty or sixty people, white,black and brown. There were Americans,Chimoros, Portuguese and Kanakas. Mr.Brava, a Cape de Verd Islander from theisland of Brava, was said to be the richestman among them, owning a beach andmany acres of fertile land, which he hadoccupied for more than twenty years(Beane 1905, 280).”

And that is just a small part of the storyof the participation of these men, andat times their wives, in the Americanwhaling industry, as recounted in So EndsThis Day.

Azorean Whaleman GalleryOpening Day | September 10, 2010

Azorean WhalemanCommitteeThomas AlvesManuel BrancoState Rep. Antonio F. D. CabralHon. Armand FernandesDr. Graca FonsecaFernando GarciaJohn GarfieldManuel GoulartEugene MonteiroSuperintendent Jennifer NersesianRita PachecoAlda PetittiJohn PinheiroVictor PinheiroJuliette RochaDr. Brian RothschildCalvin SiegalJosé SoaresDr. Frank SousaDavid TatlockJoão Gomes VieiraJanet Whitla

Capt. John T. Gonsalves. Image courtesy of Daniel Rodrigues.

Capt. A. C. Corvello and wife.

Works cited

Beane, Joshua F. From Forecastle to Cabin:The Story of a Cruise in Many Seas. New York:The Editor Publishing Co., 1905.

Duncan, T. Bentley. Atlantic Islands: Madeira, theAzores and the Cape Verdes in Seventeenth-CenturyCommerce and Navigation. Chicago: Universityof Chicago Press, 1972.

Francis, Joseph F. Memoir. Joseph and FrankVera Papers, MSS B97-13, Old DartmouthHistorical Society.

Hohman, Elmo Paul. The AmericanWhaleman.New York: Longmans, Green & Co., 1928.

Poole, Dorothy Cottle. “Mutinous But NotMutiny.” The Dukes County Intelligencer 18(May 1977):135-40.

The Museum appreciates the cooperation of theCenter for Portuguese Studies and Culture at theUniversity of Massachusetts Dartmouth in makingpublication of this article possible.

Azorean Regatta WeekHighlightsWednesday, Sept. 8Official Welcome, New Bedford City HallNew Bedford Whaling NHP tourEvening Reception, Portuguese Consulate

Thursday Sept. 911:30 am Whaling Museum guided tour5-6 pm Azorean Folk Dancing,

Museum Plaza6-7 pm Symposium, Whaling Museum7 pm AHA Night: Meet the crew,

Casa dos Botes

Friday, Sept. 1010 am Sailing Competition, Women’s

(modified) Division6 pm Dedication of Azorean

Whaleman Gallery,Whaling Museum

Saturday, Sept. 1111 am Sailing Competition,

Men’s Division

Sunday, Sept. 129 am Rowing Competition,

Men and WomenEvening Awards Ceremony,Whaling Museum

Page 11: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

Barbara Ferri, Co-ChairCarolyn Willard, Co-ChairLouise Shwartz, Auction ChairA. Christine BurgessRichard DonnellyJudge Armand Fernandes

Mona KetchamSally LutzLaura McLeodSarah MitchellSusan RothschildDeborah Simpson

summer bulletin 2010 1918 summer bulletin 2010

EVENTSwhaling museum

Bermuda shorts & knobbly kneesMarch 12, 2010

All photos taken by local photographer John Hughes

1

8

2

3

6

4 5

Over the Top, Around theWorldTo benefit the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Join our Annual SummerCelebration / August 7, 2010

Delectable dishes, colorful entertainment, and a top shelf bar from Cardoza’s Wine and Spirits.

Live and silent auction items including:A trip to the Azores • A week’s stay at a private home in London • A weekend stay at a private home on Nantucket

Fabulous antiques • Sports tickets, and more!

sponsor: $2,500 + (includes)

Ten tickets and VIP reserved seating for your guests

Invitation to a VIP auction preview reception prior to the event

Acknowledgement on the Formal invitation

Recognition in the Evening Program and Auction Catalog

Invitations to private Museum events and behind-the-scenestours throughout the year

tables of ten: $1,500

patron: $500For two tickets and recognition at the event

individual tickets: $125 (each)

Call for reservations 508 997-0046 ext. 115

tickets

over the top, around the world committee event sponsors

Proceeds will help underwrite the Museum’s programming that serves 100,000 children and adults each year.

New BedfordAzores

Cape V

erdeH

awaiiJapanAlaska

SanF

rancisc

oN

antuck

et

Presented by:

Sponsored by:

1. Gene Monteiro and Patty Jayson, Event Chairs.

2. Lloyd Macdonald and Michele Taipale.

3. Rep. Antonio and Jessica Cabral.

4. Eugene Lonergan and Russell Fearing.

5.Matt and Kristin Morrissey.

6. John and Emily Pinheiro.

7. Christine Burgess, Carolyn Willard, and Diane Pontiff.

8. Event Sponsor, Henry J. Wheelwright of UBS Financial Services, Inc.,with fiancée Kimberly Shepherd.

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Page 12: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

he Adaline H. Perkins Rand PhotographyArchives is now the Adaline H. Perkins Rand

Photography and Digital Archives; an expandedname for an expanded mission. This name changerepresents the merger of the existing PhotographyDepartment with the new Department of DigitalInitiatives. But what is a New Bedford WhalingMuseum digital initiative, and why would it need adepartment of its own? Further, why is the digitalarchive linked to the photography archive; whatis the connection?

Today’s Digital Era, characterized in part by anexplosion of media types and applications, leads us to recognizethe need for an institutional archive dedicated to electronic files.Linking of the Digital and Photographic Archives began as aresult of a shared dependance on and connection to technology.

Within the Photography Archives, the history of photographycan be viewed as a series of technological advancements. Arguably,over the last 170 plus years, there has been no greater shift inhow photographs are made, or distributed, than what we haveexperienced recently. Silver based film has given way to electroniccapture and digital media, and through the growth of the inter-net, the computer monitor now challenges for primacy in howpeople encounter museum collections. Currently there are moreonline visitors than visitors through our front doors, and this gapwill only continue to grow as our web-based content increasesalong with our ability to create and manage it. The Departmentof Digital Initiatives recognizes that we must continue to createand sustain compelling content for this growing audience.

A broad definition of a digital initiative would be any project,process, or enterprise that is computer borne, or has migrated tothe computer, and that improves access to museum collections,information, programs, or products. Much as Gutenberg’s print-ing press altered civilization forever, now the computer, throughthe web, changes how information and knowledge are created andshared. The web, like the printing press before it, substantiallyincreases the distribution of all kinds of information, includingaccess to primary source materials as well as related scholarship.

The Museum got its first computer in the early1990s. Within the decade to follow, while therewere a few more machines, they were still mostlyisolated from one another except through sharingvia external media. This disconnection was recog-nized and addressed by the Museum in 2001,and with the help of an Institute of Museum andLibrary Sciences grant the Museum's curatorial andlibrary staff began the process of populating our justinstalled collections management database. Thecreation of the Museum’s collections database be-came the basis for what could be considered ourgroundbreaking digital initiative: offering an online

version of this database. Initially we posted around 25,000records, a majority with associated image surrogates. Today, wehave well over 40,000 discrete records representing a substantialpiece of our overall collections. This was a major turning point,and continues to be a growing asset.

Digital content of all varieties is growing exponentially. As wegenerate more and more, it becomes apparent that special care isrequired. One could argue that digitized materials, and contentthat is “born digital,” are in some ways more ‘fragile’ than somehistoric material. With digital content there is both a blessingand a burden that result from having a machine between us andit. The machine supercharges the distribution of the content, andthe ability to organize and share it, but then inevitably machinesbreak, associated software or media become obsolete. The digitalage brings to the fore critical issues related to data preservation,integrity, and migration. It is fair to say that for many, paper isstill the medium of last resort, a safer haven. When lightningstrikes, when electricity fails, paper still works, it is tactile, it isconcrete, we can hold it in our hands. It still makes a very nicecomplement to anything digital.

Digital initiatives tend to be collaborative among staff, volunteers,community members, and consultants. This new department isdesigned to encourage entrepreneurial thinking, developing a spacefor ideas to germinate and to encourage interaction. Projects tendto be both structural, in the sense of foundation building, andcontent driven.

20 summer bulletin 2010

VignettesCuratorial

T

k e e p s a k ed a y s

“We chose the Whaling Museum forour wedding because we want to bring

our children here and we know themuseum will be here forever.”

For weddings and other memorablespecial events – intimate settings from

50 to 200 people.

Please contact the EventsCoordinator at

(508) 997-0046 ext. 133 [email protected]

18 Johnny Cake HillNew Bedford, Massachusetts 02740

(508) 997-0046www.whalingmuseum.org

ImageMakers Photographic Artists, New Bedford, MA

Digitally manipulated image combinesthe “Portrait of Captain MercatorCooper”(1983.45.1) with an iPod.

New Digital Archive UnderwayBy Michael Lapides, Director of Digital Initiatives / Photo Curator

Website redesign (www.whalingmuseum.org):the goal is to transition from a static to adynamic website.

Museum blog (http://whalingmuseumblog.org):rich with behind the scenes information, timelyupdates, and articles.

Exhibit audio tours: available from the Frontdeskor our website. The production of these tours has

been supported by the National Park Service andby the Melville Society Cultural Project.

Oral History Project: migrating existing recordingsto digital formats and creating new ones.

Crewlist Project: creating a public access databasefor with the names of men who sailed from NewBedford on whaling vessels. This project is incooperation with the New Bedford Port Society.

Most readers of The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hillwill no doubt find this issue in standard printedform, mailed as a benefit of Museum membership.A small but growing number of readers might haveclicked onto it care of Google or Yahoo, or navigatedto our website ‘News’ section to find it. Content digi-tally delivered, like whalers and whaleships that sailedthe seven seas, can serve as a link between New Bed-ford and the world. Wherever you are, sail with us.

Here are some of our current digital initiatives to be completed in 2010.

Newarrivals

for2010

We carry hundreds of titles in our book department on whaling, regional history,and maritime subjects, including many related children’s topics.

Shop online at: www.whalingmuseumstore.org

1) American Landscape and Seascape Paintings. The Museum’s latest book on the best of its painting collection. Available in late June.2) Finely casted miniature of the Little Navigator, traditional mascot of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. A great gift for every Whaling Museum fan!

3) Select from a fine assortment of jewelry including 25 nautical charms from D’Amico, and our exclusive ‘Little Navigator’ charm.

1 2 3

Unique gifts exclusively at the Museum Store

Page 13: The Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, Summer 2010

BulletinTHE

fromJohnnyCake Hill

SUMMER 2010

The Portuguese in American Whaling

18 Johnny Cake Hill • New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740-6398508 997-0046 • www.whalingmuseum.org

SUMMER HOURS (June - December): Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Until 9:00 p.m. every second Thursday of the month

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is governed by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society.

Subscription to this publication is a benefit of membership. For more information about membership,

call 508 997-0046 ext. 115 or visit www.whalingmuseum.org.

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the expressed written consent of the New BedfordWhaling Museum.

nonprofit org.u.s. postage paidnew bedford, mapermit no. 29

Museum is fully accessible

by Donald Warrin, Ph.D.